Tarot doesnt need qualifications

So heres the thing:

Would you have a tarot reading (say on the street) by a regular tarot reader, meaning someone who taught themselves and hasnt taken some formal course.

Should they have a "qualification" or something to prove that they know what theyre doing?

the same goes for online tarot readers who provide their services on websites.
is it okay for them to operate without being professional?

nb- what classifies a tarot reader as a professional?

Well, I would NOT have a reading from someone claiming to be 'educated' in reading tarot. I just don't think that's possible - for me it has more to do with having empathy, imagination and 'all-round knowledge'.

There are at least a couple really *long* discussions that cover similar topics that have cropped up recently. I can't find the link right now, but the majority of folks here seem to think that any type of certificate in tarot reading doesn't mean very much in the real world.

The thing about tarot readers is that if you want to find one, you have to take some risk- you have to just try them out until you find one that works well with you. I hate to make the comparrison.... but because there are a fair number of hacks and charlitans out there "reading cards", you sort of have to treat it like a drug deal- you never know what you are going to get until you find a dealer you can trust.

Any reader you find has to understand that your repeat business is what he is after- if they don't seem to see the importance of that, then they probably aren't really all that serious about giving good readings.

I think reputation is the only sure qualification.

If you don't know their reputation, you have to go by your feelings when you meet them.

A "Degree in Tarot Reading" is probably useless (not necessarily, but probably); it would only be a status symbol. The proof is in the pudding.

If a person had been personally trained by a tarot reader of longstanding reputation, that would be worth something, because it shows that the teacher saw talent and potential in the student. But a course that results in a degree would produce nothing more than proof that somebody can finish a course.

Good tarot readers must have: innate ability, a calling to read the cards, and plenty of practice.

A course *could* improve a reader; but I'd be more worried about the qualifications of the person charging for such a course than those of a county fair tarot reader.

What would qualify one as a professional? I guess, if a person charges for readings on a regular basis, or makes a living solely by reading cards, they are a tarot professional.

my HO

i have had readings by experienced people. by experienced i mean with 10 or more more years of work as readers. that is one aspect. although, to me i go by the feeling i go with them. i am an intuitive reader. not only of tarot but also of people and situations. I got a reading once on the street by a self-propclaiemd tarot and astrology reader. it was so blah!..that i almost wanted to tell her what the cards really meant etc. she keept looking at her book and was very vage and general. it was $29 for the 20 min. i have seen the woman in other places, and once i saw her in a psychic fair! anyway, i am digressing here.

a couple of other readings i had were with very accomplished psychics and they were great b/c of the connection to other energies in the room, not only the cards.

so i don't go getting readings with everybody. i have a couple of people that i wait to see once every so many years.

to me, it's not about how educated you are in your craft, but how good of an artist you area with it.

yaraluna